Off the top of your head, what do you think the odds of this turning into a United Ireland would be?
Surely both sides of the border would rather unify than go along with this madness? Or am I dreaming?
A United Ireland in our lifetime would be heart-explodingly amazing; however just as the UK voted Leave, Northern Ireland could well vote Stay.
I've said this in another comment but I think it is. We now have an issue that will effect all the people in the North and is more important than the usual sectarian divide. If border controls come into place and it starts to effect people's daily lives (e.g. People living in border counties and working on the other side) there's actual a real debate to be had for once. A border poll has already been called for this morning but of course the secretary of state has dismissed it. I think Scotland will need to vote for independence before Ireland has a shot at it.
The sad thing about the possibility of a real debate is that those proposing the unification still have literal blood on their hands. The conversation morphs from those proposing unification to being about those proposing the idea, and how they've been involved in horrific violence not-so-many years ago. The point of the debate is lost in the mire from that point on.
I believe it'll take a generation removed of the troubles to be capable of grasping the possibility. But I would LOVE to be proved wrong!